Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-019-00368-1

ORIGINAL PAPER

Static and dynamic testing of highway bridges: a best practice

example
Marcheggiani Laura1 · Clementi Francesco2 · Formisano Antonio3 

Received: 4 September 2019 / Accepted: 25 November 2019 / Published online: 2 December 2019
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019

Abstract
The load bearing capacity of a viaduct and its structural behaviour under traffic or seismic excitation can be evaluated using
well-established modelling methods aided by computing facilities of great capability. However, to ensure reliable results,
numerical models used in designing should be calibrated with accurate information on material properties and structural
components. The static and dynamic testing procedures applied to a multi-span bridge along a new highway link inaugu-
rated in 2014 in northern Italy are examined as a best practice example. The structural responses and performances are
compared with and evaluated in the light of static and dynamic load test results. In particular, Operational Modal Analysis
and Experimental Modal Analysis are used and compared to match with the numerical model. The comparison showed that
the dynamic load test can supplement the static load test for the structural evaluation of new viaducts; it may also be taken
as an alternative for the monitoring of operational viaducts.

Keywords  Structural health monitoring · Bridge · Load testing · Dynamic testing · Operational modal analysis ·
Experimental modal analysis

1 Introduction (ii) dramatic differences in terms of economic interests, size

and technical skills of the subjects involved in the civil engi-
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques have neering sector, including facility owners, designers, and con-
received considerable attention from academics and engi- tractors; (iii) the absence of understanding of the potentiality
neering practitioners in the last two decades, in different of the SHM techniques.
branches of the discipline. Monitoring the integrity of dif- Governments and professional groups related to civil
ferent systems and/or components is widely used, also in an engineering write and publish standard, guidelines, and
automated manner, becoming common in automotive and simple recommendations to protect the safety of crucial
aerospace engineering with several successful applications. infrastructures [2]. The developments observed in recent
Despite the theoretical and practical developments nowadays decades started with the Intelligent Sensing for Innovative
available, civil engineering is otherwise still reluctant to Structures (ISIS) research network of Canada in 2001 [3],
apply SHM techniques to a large scale. The reasons for this where a clear description of the SHM techniques is reported,
mistrust are various [1]: (i) the strong variety of structural obviously related to the knowledge in the time of writing,
types and situations involved in the construction industry; including static and dynamic tests. The US Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) and the International Federation
for Structural Concrete (FIB) published guidelines for the
* Formisano Antonio
[email protected] development of an SHM model for monitoring bridges [4] as
well as for monitoring and evaluating the safety of concrete
1
ENEA–Centro Ricerche Bologna e Laboratori di Ricerca bridges  [5]. The International Organization for Standardi-
Faenza, Bologna, Italy zation (ISO) proposed some years later new international
2
Department of Civil and Building Engineering, standards [6] for measuring and processing the responses to
and Architecture (DICEA), Polytechnic University vibrations of bridges. The EU guidelines of 2006 [7] present
of Marche, Ancona, Italy
clear procedures and technologies for structural assessment,
3
Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, monitoring and control (SAMCO) of infrastructures. The
University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

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44 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

GOST R 53778:2010 [8] was published four years later, and allow us to obtain accurate and reliable modal parameters’
in 2012, the German guidelines were added for the monitor- estimates.
ing of bridges and other engineering [9]. Dynamic data collected during experiments are funda-
In China, along with the rapid growth of its economics, mental since they constitute a signature of the structural
a quick infrastructural deployment has been generated with behavior of the bridge. However, these information become
the subsequent development of standard and regulation, more effective and provide more significant results when
also on SHM [10]. In Japan, together with the advancement used to improve a Finite Element Model (FEM) of the
of bridge SHM [11], new standards for the SHM design bridge, both for existing and new ones.
were added [12]. A wide selection of international codes is This paper reports, as a best practice example, the results
reported in [2]. In Italy, we notice a lack in SHM guidelines of the testing procedure of one of the three main bridges
and procedures being simply limited to §9.2 of the Italian along the new A35 BreBeMi motorway link between the
law [13], except for UNI 10985:2002 [14]. However, the cities of Brescia and Milan, in northern Italy, opened to traf-
Morandi Bridge disaster in Genoa (14 August 2018) and fic in July 2014. In particular, the main steps and results
a long series of collapses and failures (22 October 2013, obtained on the bridge crossing the Adda river are analyzed.
the Carasco Bridge, above the Sturla River, in the Genoese The most interesting aspect of the investigation consisted of
hinterland; 29 October 2016, overpass on the SS 36 in the the request of the Client to carry out both the environmental
province of Lecco; 9 March 2017, overpass 167 on the A14 and the forced dynamic tests. The literature is rich in arti-
motorway between Loreto and Ancona Sud; 18 April 2017, cles concerning dynamic tests performed on bridges, with
viaduct on the Fossano Cuneo ring road) demonstrate the assessments both in favor and against the AVT compared to
need of reviewing the regulations and the urge for a national the HFT. However, there are very few cases in which there
monitoring plan of the structural health of road infrastruc- was the possibility of performing both tests in a row, provid-
tures, for both new and existing ones. In specific, the Italian ing a detailed study by-passing each predetermination and
law gives the possibility to perform a static test and, if neces- evaluating not only qualitatively but also quantitatively the
sary, dynamic surveys (not compulsory). advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches.
Dynamic techniques play an important role from sev-
eral points of view among the current tools for structural
health monitoring. They mostly allow us to identify the main 2 The investigated bridge
parameters governing the dynamic behavior of a bridge by
measuring the structural response, namely natural frequen- The investigated viaduct, wbs VI003, extends between the
cies, mode shapes, and damping factors, usually gained by Pk 43 + 220.95 and the Pk 44 + 487.92 with respect to the
means of Ambient Vibration Tests (AVTs) using operational East–West motorway axis of the A35 Brebemi (Fig. 1); one
identification methods. AVTs generally are less effective of its main spans crosses the Adda river, which, therefore,
than Harmonically Forced Tests (HFTs), but their use does gives it the name. The Adda Viaduct is composed of two
not require any additive equipment. Moreover, since they side-by-side decks each made up of 20 spans with different
can be easily repeated, measurements of a high number of lengths: shore spans of 45 m, typological spans 60 m, main
points are easily feasible even with a small number of avail- spans of 90 m across the riverbed of the Adda river and the
able sensors [15–19]. In addition, recent advances on signal spillway of the Muzza canal, and transition spans of 75 m
processing techniques applied to output-only measurements between the last ones and the typological ones. The deck is

Fig. 1  3D view of the Adda Viaduct

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 45

supported by piers with a full circular section with a height very small residual displacements at the end of a possible
ranging from 4.70 m to 11.59 m. The two carriageways have seismic event. These devices are characterized by a distinctly
an offset (along the longitudinal direction of the viaduct) of nonlinear behavior, directly depending to the transmitted
about 7 m, to allow the crossing of the river. excitation. Within modest excitations, they assume pseudo-
The plinths supporting the piers are circular-based foun- elastic behavior with stiffness characteristics related to the
dations on the consolidated ground (Jet-Grouting) that can extent of the actions applied.
be grouped into four types, with a height between 2 and
2.5 m and a diameter between 8.70 and 12.50 m. The deck
is joined to the side embankments by means of the abut- 3 Static load test
ments, as wide as the deck (i.e., 17.05 m) and having a
height between (single elevation of the front wall) 8.55 m To measure the deflections of the viaduct, loading and
(shoulder S2 South roadway) and 7.99 m (shoulder S1 North unloading sessions were carried out with different configura-
roadway). In the viaduct, there are four artifacts with identi- tions of trucks, each one having a total weight of 420 kN. To
cal foundations and differentiated carpentry in the elevation get the maximum bending stresses, the trucks were arranged
of the ramp walls and in the shape of the gravel wall (which in the spans of 45 m and 60 m as in Fig. 3a, for the span
follows the transverse slope of the viaduct to the supports). of 75 m and 90 m as Fig. 3b, with the loads transversely
The abutments on the same side are kept separated, despite centered [20].
the proximity of the artifacts, to decouple their behavior in The transverse position of the convoys close to the sights
a seismic scenario (Fig. 2). The plinths supporting the abut- was studied to minimize the deformation of the lateral over-
ments are rectangular-based foundations on the consolidated hangs, so that the height of the tip of the overhang was really
ground (Jet-Grouting) having the same dimensions for all indicative of the average height of the cross section. The
four abutments: 18.00 × 14.00 × 2.00 m3. displacement in the middle of the span was read through two
The decks are continuous beams made by the solidariza- optical sights placed in correspondence of the lateral curbs,
tion of individual “crutches” constituted with the prefabri- between the second and third rows of trucks.
cated ashlar system with symmetrical cantilevered advance To generate the design shear in a general pier (axis), a
regarding the piers head. In particular, the continuous pre- loading train was used with nine trucks arranged on three
fabricated box decks are assembled on site using the pre- rows with a longitudinal center distance of 9.5 m (Fig. 4a).
stress technique with internal sliding cables. Finally, to generate the maximum torque, eight trucks are
From the seismic point of view, the viaduct belongs to arranged, positioned in pairs close to the side overhang
the category of continuous deck bridges with seismic isola- (Fig. 4b).
tion. The usual apparatus supporting the deck on the support The measurement was based on the precision spirit lev-
structures are replaced by seismic isolators with the aim of eling technique, with an accuracy of ± 0.01 mm. During
containing the seismic energy transmitted by the substruc- the sessions, the deflections were measured at significant
ture (piles and abutments) to the superstructure (deck). The points identified as eleven benchmarks (see marker points in
sliding pendulum isolators adopted incorporate good dissi- Figs. 3 and 4) fixed rigidly to the upper surface of the slab:
pating capabilities against the seismic action, guaranteeing given the geometry of the deck, the measurements were not

Fig. 2  A general layout of the Adda Viaduct

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46 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

Fig. 3  A general scheme for the trucks during static load tests of the Adda Viaduct for the maximization of the bending in the span

Fig. 4  A general scheme for the trucks during static load tests of the Adda Viaduct for the maximization of the shear in the piers and of the tor-
sion in the deck

limited to the central span only, but to catch all the possi- effect, optical targets were positioned also in correspond-
ble displacements, the optical sights were positioned in the ence of the parallel discharged roadway (the load test was
external parts. carried out on the two carriageways at different times).
The measuring station consisted of a TRIMBLE 5603 Therefore, during the course of the load test, a monitoring
robotic reflectorless total station, with 3″ of angular pre- of the discharge of the deck deformations was carried out,
cision, reading accuracy at the leveling staff of 0.01 mm; caused by solar radiation effects only. During the readings,
with an automatic dual-axis compensator granting a work- the level was moved onto each of the three station vertices,
ing range of 6′, a magnification of 26×. The robotic station thus allowing both collimations to the staff (even in the
and the markers are reported in Fig. 5a. Measurements presence of the obstacles caused by the trucks) and redun-
were carried out for each loading and unloading session by dancy of the measurements. The readings were not only
performing the readings on the staffs on the deck bench- digitally recorded but also transcribed in a field notebook.
marks and on an external benchmark (CS) positioned near Strain gauge transducers TLDT50MM, with a high-
the vertices of the station. To monitor the actual deforma- resolution measure of < 1 µm and a standard output of
tions induced by solar radiation, in order to remove the 2 mV/V, were used to limit possible measurement errors
deformation of the deck under the load induced by this

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 47

Fig. 5  The optical marker and the robotic reflectorless total station (a) and the LVDTs for the static load tests (b)

and correctly placed, to catch deflecting of bending and respect to the design exclamation. Comparing the results of
torsion (see Fig. 5b). the same points but with the LVDT, it is possible to observe
All the measurements were carried out in three different an opposite behavior, worse than the numerical one, but
days. There were 16 load tests, each of them with both con- always contained in an engineering-acceptable range.
ditions of unloaded bridge (subject to its own weight alone) In general, all the 16 tests showed an elastic behavior of
and loaded bridge (subject to the weight of different opera- the viaduct, with deformations related to the applied loads
tional trucks): the trucks were placed—in a first step—in the in the individual load steps and with negligible residual
decks to do an increment of loads of 60% for bending, 55% displacement (significantly less than 15% of the elastic
for shear, or directly 100% for torsion. The unloading condi- deformation).
tions retraced the same steps until complete removal of the
loads, and it stopped once the stabilization of the lowering
residues was reached. 4 Dynamic load test
The measured and theoretical deflections for the bending
action of the marker points (Mi for the middle of the beam, From 3 to 7 June 2014, AVT and HFT were carried out
Pi for the piers) along the viaduct are reported in Table 1 with the aim to assess the dynamic behaviors of the Adda
for only the P6–P8 spans. The displacements of the directly Viaduct. In particular, span P5–P6, P6–P7, and P7–P8 (see
loaded span are kept stable within the individual loading Fig. 2) of the north carriageway and the spans at the lateral
steps. The difference between the measured displacement ends named S1–P1, P1–P2 and P2–P3 of the south carriage-
to the net of the displacement of the supports (Δexp*) and way were tested [21].
the FEM displacement was always negative, so the structure First of all, AVS was used to characterize the dynamic
behaved way better than expected during the design process. behavior of the bridge, with ambient vibration only, like
It is possible to state from the available data, not reported for wind, background noise, etc. The Operational Modal Anal-
brevity issue on this paper, that the displacement of the span ysis (OMA) technique was then used to obtain the main
preceding and following the loaded test is always acceptable, frequencies, the associated modal shapes, and the damping
with a variation at least equal to -20% but always lower than ratios.
the numerical one. Then, the HFT was used with a known and controlled
The exclusive measurement of the torsional deformation input, and the correlated induced vibration was acquired,
of the deck, expressed by the difference in the settlements also providing a ratio between output and input. The quanti-
under the load of the X18 south and X18 north sights (see ties obtained to express the dynamic behavior of the struc-
Fig. 4), is reported in Table 2 for the span between the piers ture, regardless of the type and extent of the input force,
P18 and P19. Below the X18 sights, there are two centesimal were in this case known and measured. The modal param-
fleximeters (F18 north and F18 south in Fig. 4) having a eters, thus, obtained should allow a more reliable dynamic
transverse distance of about 7.60 m. In this case, we have a analysis of the structure with respect to the OMA, since
good correlation with the optical measurements, with a vari- with the forced test the energy supplied at each frequency
ation of − 4% that means a better behavior of the bridge with is much greater, and in any case, it can be reproduced after

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48 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

Table 1  Experimental and FEM results for the P6 to P8 spans at different stages of the load tests for bending action
Northern roadway

Loading step 1 (55–60%) Marker M4 P5 M5 P6 M6 P7 M7 P8 M8 LVDT

ΔFEM (mm) − 3.3 0 10.4 0 − 22.7 0 8.7 0 − 2 8.7
ΔEXP (mm) − 2.8 0.05 8.36 − 0.01 − 21.62 − 0.12 7.38 0.06 − 1.45 7.4
ΔEXP* (mm) − 2.83 0 8.34 0 − 21.56 0 7.41 0 − 1.48 –
Loading step 2 (100%) ΔFEM (mm) − 6.5 0 20.8 0 − 45.4 0 17.4 0 − 3.9 17.4
ΔEXP (mm) − 5.95 0.1 17.04 − 0.26 − 40.42 − 0.17 12.73 − 0.08 − 3.11 11.33
ΔEXP* (mm) − 6 0 17.12 0 − 40.21 0 12.85 0 − 3.07 –
Variation (%) − 8% − 21% − 13% − 35% -27% − 54%
Unloading step 1 (55–60%) ΔFEM (mm) − 3.3 0 10.4 0 − 22.7 0 8.7 0 − 2 8.7
ΔEXP (mm) − 2.8 0.05 8.36 − 0.01 − 21.62 -0.12 7.38 0.06 − 1.45 7.4
ΔEXP* (mm) − 2.83 0 8.34 0 − 21.56 0 7.41 0 − 1.48 –
Unloading ΔResidual (mm) − 0.05 − 0.15 0.06 − 0.12 − 0.3 − 0.05 0.38 0.11 − 0.1 1.04
Southern roadway
Loading step 1 (55–60%) Marker M4 P5 M5 P6 M6 P7 M7 P8 M8 LVDT
ΔFEM (mm) − 3.3 0 10.4 0 − 22.7 0 8.7 0 − 2 8.7
ΔEXP (mm) − 3.26 0.05 8.87 − 0.22 − 20.65 0.01 6.43 − 0.1 − 1.33 6.1
ΔEXP* (mm) − 3.28 0 8.95 0 − 20.55 0 6.47 0 − 1.28 –
Loading step 2 (100%) ΔFEM (mm) -6.5 0 20.8 0 − 45.4 0 17.4 0 − 3.9 17.4
ΔEXP (mm) − 5.34 − 0.15 14.65 0.35 − 43.21 0.19 14.32 0.04 − 2.86 13.06
ΔEXP* (mm) − 5.27 0 14.55 0 − 43.48 0 14.2 0 − 2.88 –
Variation (%) − 23% − 43% − 4% − 23% − 35% − 33%
Unloading step 1 (55–60%) ΔFEM (mm) − 3.3 0 10.4 0 − 22.7 0 8.7 0 − 2 8.7
ΔEXP (mm) − 3.36 0.05 8.8 0.2 − 21.3 0.15 7.57 0.03 − 1.75 6.84
ΔEXP* (mm) 3.38 0 8.68 0 − 21.48 0 7.49 0 − 1.76 –
Unloading ΔResidual (mm) − 0.11 0.05 0.55 0.25 − 0.91 0.14 0.31 0.14 0.1 0.47

Table 2  Experimental and FEM results for the P18–P19 spans at dif- the forcing imposed on the structure. To provide excitation,
ferent stages of the load tests for torsion action imposed by inertia, a system for vertical forcing was used.
Northern roadway Moreover, a hydraulic actuator loaded with appropriate
masses is employed. The choice was conditioned by the pos-
Loading MARKER X18 south/north F18 south/north sibility of implementing the best control strategy, in terms of
ΔFEM (mm) 5.6 4.84 both the amplitude of forcing and frequency.
ΔEXP (mm) 5.4 5.2
Variation (%) − 4% 7%
4.1 Instrumental layout
Unloading ΔFEM (mm) 0 0
ΔEXP (mm) 0 − 0.69
The AV response of the bridge with OMA was measured at
Southern roadway
different spans (see Fig. 6a) and with different acquisitions.
Loading MARKER X18 south/north F18 south/north
In particular, the AVs consider the spans between the piers
ΔFEM (mm) 5.6 4.84
P5 and P8 for the north carriageway, and between the abut-
ΔEXP (mm) 5.4 5.54
ment S1 and the pier P3 for the south carriageway.
Variation (%) − 4% 13%
The accelerometers were fixed in direct contact with the
Unloading ΔFEM (mm) 0 0
structural elements (Fig. 6a) and parallel/perpendicular to
ΔEXP (mm) 0 − 0.18
the main directions of the span, to get both horizontal and
vertical modes. The positions chosen were at 1/3L, 1/2L,
2/3L of considered spans.
many years. In the specific case, it was decided to place all In general, two different types of highly sensitive accel-
the energy available on a single frequency at a time, using erometers, measuring in two orthogonal directions, were
a stepped type forcing sine. This choice, despite requiring placed (see Fig.  6a): the dots measure the vertical and
longer duration tests, allowed to have the best control over arrows the horizontal directions. Other accelerometers were

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 49

Fig. 6  Layout of the accelerometers at each span (see online version for colors) for operational modal analysis (a), and experimental modal
analysis (b)

put in different positions as reported in Fig. 6a to obtain The hydraulic actuator (see Fig. 7) is powered by a port-
more information about the dynamic behavior of the whole able pump with adequate characteristics. The actuator oscil-
structure. lates, at the desired frequency and amplitude, with its mass
A wired sensor network was used, composed of two of 500 kg which generates the desired forcing on the struc-
types of piezoelectric sensors (Integrated Electronic ture. The chosen test profile is a stepped sine: within the
Piezoelectric-IEPE): frequency range of interest, a harmonic excitation at a fixed
393B12-PCB with voltage sensitivity of 10 V/g with a frequency is provided for a period sufficient to stabilize the
passband 0.15–1000 Hz, and measurement range of ± 0.5 g, behavior of the structure and to collect sufficient data for a
393B31-PCB with voltage sensitivity if 10 V/g with a complete and accurate analysis. The frequency is increased
passband 0.1–200 Hz, and measurement range of ± 0.5 g. with variable steps, cooled around the structural resonances,
The digital recorder is composed of NI9234 modules with with a minimum step of 0.01 Hz. The system has been spe-
24-bit A/D converter and integrated anti-aliasing filters. The cially designed and built to allow the best modulation of
data were acquired with a sampling frequency of 2048 Hz, the load and the stroke, as the two variables, along with the
pre-filtered and decimated 8 times, obtaining a final sam- frequency, influence the extent of forcing.
pling frequency of 256 Hz. To estimate the force transmitted to the structure,
For the Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA), the setup an accelerometer (PCB 393A03 with a sensitivity of
layout is essentially the same as OMA to facilitate compari- 1000 mV/g) was fixed to the basket that carried the mobile
son between the results of the two tests, but in this case, the masses; starting from this measurement, since the moving
excitation is provided by an inertial exciter (see blue point mass is known, it was possible to detect the force value
in Fig. 6b). The chosen position for the inertial exciter is transmitted to the ground. The main values of the forces
close to 1/3L, where L is the length of the central span of transmitted to the viaduct are reported in Table 3.
the three measured portions, to excite the greatest number of
eigenmodes at low frequency; the actuator has been placed 4.2 Operational modal analysis
in an asymmetrical position in reference to the center line,
to force both vertical and torsional modes of the viaduct (at Natural frequencies, vibrations modes and damping ratios
least in this part). were estimated for the lower modes of Girders North and

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50 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

Fig. 7  Hydraulic actuator and accelerometers of the system for experimental modal analysis

oscillations are dominant and the deck vibrates according

Table 3  Forces transmitted on the deck for Experimental Modal
Analysis for the two carriageways to lower mode shapes of a multi-span continuous beam.
The Mode 2 (1.59 Hz, ζ = 0.79%) vibrates both in out-
Frequency (Hz) North carriageway South carriageway of-plane and in-plane directions of the deck. Maximum
Force (N) Force (N) amplitudes were recorded in the first span if we consider
1–1.5 800 800 the extremity near to the mountain, and in the middle of the
1.5–1.8 1500 1000 central span, taking into account the extremity near to the
1.8–2 1800 1500 valley, and the oscillation amplitudes of homologous points
2–2.5 2500 3000 located on both sides of the deck were approximately equal
but with opposite signs. These modes are reminiscent of the
spatial deformation of the first bending modes of a multiple-
span continuous beam.
South. The Time-Histories (THs) are analyzed by the Pol- A dynamic behavior analogous to that of North carriage-
yreference Least Square Frequency Domain [22]. way was encountered in identifying the vibration modes of
Figure 8 shows the graph of the Power Spectral Den- South carriageway, with some little differences. Three fre-
sity (PSD) of the accelerations detected during the 8 h of quencies and the associated mode shapes were identified
acquisition made on the North carriageway. Only three also in this carriageway. The most important differences
vibration modes were completely identified from the tests are that all the modes still involved the deformation of the
on North carriageway, see Fig. 9. The first and third modes whole deck, with a prevalence of an in-phase oscillation of
involved a deformation of the bridge deck, with a preva- the two extremities of the deck in the vertical plane. These
lence of vertical oscillations, i.e., transversal to the deck. modes had very close natural frequency values, respectively,
Mode 1 (1.27 Hz, ζ = 0.67%) corresponded to a bending 2.06 Hz and 2.11 Hz for Mode 1 and Mode 2. The third
in-phase deformation of the deck, i.e., the out-of-plane mode corresponded to the natural frequency value equal to
deformation of the deck was the same with equal sign at 2.21 Hz and presented a modal deformation with a greater
the extremities, as happened for the Mode 3 (1.68 Hz, contribution in anti-phase at the stack closest to Milan.
ζ = 0.48%). In both cases, modal amplitudes changed of As a consequence of these choices, it was noted from the
sign while crossing the piers for mountain extremity, and examination of the results that the identification made on the
they always remain negative at the extremity of the valley, North carriageway can identify with certainty the first three
except at P6 where it assumed almost no value, therefore modes, while that on the South carriageway can identify
coinciding with the undeformed axis of the beam; vertical only higher frequency modes (from 2.06 Hz forward), since

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 51

Fig. 8  PSD of horizontal (a)

and vertical channels (b) for the
OMA on the north carriageway
[21]

the first three are locally producing modal deformations that The Time-Histories (THs) are analyzed by the Polyreference
are too low to be appreciated at the vibration levels which Least Square Frequency Domain [22].
are typically found in the OMA. This is due to the fact that Figure 10 shows the frequency response function (FRF)
in the northern carriageway were tested the spans with the of the accelerations detected during acquisition on the North
greatest span; in the South carriageway we tested those start- carriageway. The same first three vibration modes of OMA
ing from the shoulder of the bridge. For brevity issues, this were completely identified, as seen in Fig. 11.
paper will not show PSD and mode shapes for the south The first and third modes involved again a deformation of
carriageway. the bridge deck, with a prevalence of vertical oscillations,
i.e., transversal to the deck. Mode 1 (1.26 Hz, ζ = 0.66%)
corresponded to an out-of-plane deformation of the deck
4.3 Experimental modal analysis with the same sign in the extremities, with a difference in
terms of frequencies respect to OMA of about + 0.79%. The
On both carriageways, in addition to the AVTs, tests were same happened in Mode 3 (1.69 Hz, ζ = 0.63%) with a dif-
carried out with known dynamic excitation, i.e., HFT, sup- ference in terms of frequency of about − 0.60% referred to
plied by means of an oleodynamic exciter, according to the OMA. For Mode 1, modal amplitudes changed sign cross-
approach called EMA. All the available energy was applied ing the piers; while for Mode 3, the modal amplitudes did
on one frequency at a time, using a stepped sine forcing. not change signs in pier P6 remaining always negative in

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52 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

Fig. 9  Mode shapes of the three modes identified with OMA. The 2nd mode has both the components in the vertical and in the horizontal direc-
tions with respect to the deck

the mountain extremity and positive in the valley extrem- from an engineering point of view) as OMA but are again
ity. Vertical oscillations were dominant in lower modes, and with opposite signs. These modes are once more reminiscent
deck vibrates according to shapes of a multi-span continuous of the spatial deformation of the first bending modes of a
beam. multi-span continuous beam.
Also with EMA, Mode 2 (1.57 Hz, ζ = 1.06%) vibrated A dynamic behavior analogous to that of North car-
both in out-of-plane and in-plane directions of the deck. The riageway was encountered in identifying the vibration
difference in frequency respect to OMA is about + 1.26%. modes of South carriageway, with some little differences
Maximum amplitude was again recorded in the first span if as observed for OMA. Three frequencies and the asso-
we consider the extremity near to the mountain, and in the ciated mode shapes were always identified. The most
middle of the central span, if we consider the extremity near important differences are that all the modes still involve
to the valley, and the oscillation amplitudes of homologous the deformation of the whole deck, with a prevalence of
points located on both sides of the deck were not equal (also an in-phase oscillation of the two extremities of the deck

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 53

Fig. 10  FRF of horizontal (a) FRF - Horizontal Channels

and vertical channels (b) for the (a)
EMA on the North carriageway 1.6E-05
[21]
1.4E-05

1.2E-05

Module [(m/s2)/N]
1.0E-05

8.0E-06

6.0E-06

4.0E-06

2.0E-06

0.0E+00
1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5
Frequency [Hz]

(b) FRF - Vertical Channels

1.6E-05

1.4E-05

1.2E-05
Module [(m/s2)/N]

1.0E-05

8.0E-06

6.0E-06

4.0E-06

2.0E-06

0.0E+00
1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5
Frequency [Hz]

in the vertical plane but with very big different values in The damping derived from the processing of EMA is
the two extremities. These modes have very close natural compatible with the real dissipative capacity of the structure
frequency values as just observed in OMA, respectively, in the field of small vibrations.
2.05 Hz and 2.11 Hz for Mode 1 and Mode 2. The third
mode corresponds to the natural frequency value equal
to 2.20 Hz and presents a modal with different signs near 5 Comparison with FEM
the piers P6 and P7 in the two extremities of mountain
and valley. In Table 4, a comparison between the results of all the exper-
The EMA on the northern carriageway, in which the imental tests and those derived from the numerical model
central spans were instrumented, allowed the identification is reported in terms of frequencies of the identified modes.
of the first three modes, which present components of high From the observation of the results, we can deduce an
amplitude on those spans and almost equal to zero on the excellent agreement both between the results provided by the
shore spans. For this reason, for EMAs even in the pres- different experimental tests (OMA and EMA), and between
ence of greater input energy, it is not sufficient to generate them and the estimates of the numerical model.
appreciable modal amplitudes for the first three modes in the In particular, the percentage error on the frequencies
shoulder spans. The EMA tests on the southern carriageway identified by OMA and EMA and the numerical model
allowed the identification of higher modes, as also observed is contained within about 6.5%, both for the North (first
in OMA, whose contributions in terms of amplitude of three modes) and for the South (higher modes) carriage-
vibration on the side bays are more significant. ways. The modal forms experimentally identified in

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54 Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56

Fig. 11  Mode shapes of the three modes identified with EMA. The 2nd mode has both the components in the vertical and in the horizontal direc-
tions with respect to the deck

Table 4  Comparison between numerical and experimental frequen- correspondence with the natural frequencies also show
cies of the identified modes good agreement with the values taken from the numerical
Fre- FEM (Hz) OMA EMA OMA EMA model in the positions of the measurement sensors; this
quency north north south south allows us to confirm the identification of three modes and
(Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) (Hz) allows a complete experimental validation of the numeri-
f1 1.23 1.27 1.26 – – cal model. The contained local variations found in the val-
f2 1.67 1.59 1.57 – – ues of the modal constants identified by OMA and EMA
f3 1.64 1.68 1.69 – – are due to the normal dispersion of the measured data; in
f4 1.99 – – 2.06 2.05 particular, the position of the vertical maximum in the first
f5 2.03 – – 2.11 2.11 two modes, which in the OMA identification appears in
f6 2.10 – – 2.21 2.2 span 2, in the EMA identification, in accordance with the
numerical model, occurs instead in span 3. In this case, the

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Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (2020) 10:43–56 55

forcing, therefore, allows a more precise identification of experimental results permit a clear interpretation of future
the modal form. long-term monitoring data on the Adda Viaduct.
In conclusion, it is necessary to outline the fact that the
identification carried out refers to an operating configuration Acknowledgements  The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the
“Società di Progetto Brebemi S.p.A.” for the permission to use the
in which the isolators are similar to constraints with known static and dynamic testing data of the Brebemi Viaducts.
elastic characteristics and there is no involvement of piers.
Differently, with an earthquake, the isolators would modify Compliance with Ethical Standards 
damping and modal masses participating for each mode.
Conflict of interest  The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
6 Conclusions

This research dealt with an application of dynamic methods

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